Monday, 29 May 2017

On the west side of the i360 the work is complete with high-standard paving and street furniture.

On the east side the heritage installation is still progressing. The planned spiral of reclaimed piles is beginning to take shape. It is intriguing how, in the background, the remaining beach piles of the West Pier enter the composition.

The east side piazza is also intended to be home to a restored West Pier kiosk which is till awaiting funding.

Proposals (BH2015/02264) for redevelopment of 7 Ship Street Gardens to provide office premises were finally approved in Aug 2015. Work on site has now started.

Architect's impression of the development

The siting of an office on a twitten obviously dictated the need for some privacy & security. Local architects Morgan Carn Partnership have provided this while respecting the ambience of the Gardens. A flint wall over-topped with greenery is similar to that existing elsewhere in Ship Street Gardens.

Friday, 26 May 2017

Teams of lifeguards will take up their posts on Brighton & Hove’s beaches this weekend officially kicking off the summer season.

The lifeguards patrol the city’s beaches from the Marina to Hove Lagoon and as far as Saltdean during the summer school break.

The team of male and female lifeguards, aged between 17-55, have all successfully completed a rigorous beach lifeguard qualification and a week-long induction course acquiring a wide range of skills from assessing sea and weather conditions and dealing with beach hazards, to carrying out first aid and water rescues. Last year, the seafront team saved 33 lives and gave help or safety advice to over 27,000 people.

The city is also celebrating the start of the summer season this week as Brighton Central and Hove Lawns beaches are among 14 of the South East region’s beaches to win prestigious Blue Flag awards while Saltdean beach has scooped a Seaside Award. A total of 68 of the UK’s beaches have been awarded Blue Flags in 2017.

The awards, managed by Keep Britain Tidy, are the quality marks for the UK’s beaches and mean those visiting them can be sure that they are clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as the tough international bathing water quality standards.

Thursday, 25 May 2017

Redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital has passed another milestone. The first piles, that form part of the foundations for the Stage 1 Building at the north of the site, have been set in place. This is the first piece of true construction work for the building.

Although not visible, the foundation piles mark the transition from preparation to construction.

Foundation piles are large reinforced concrete columns that sit below ground level and support the weight of the building above. The piling works are starting in the north-west corner of the construction site and will continue through to November or December 2017, depending on how well the ground takes the piles. Once the piles in the north of the Stage 1 site are in place the first parts of the main excavation for the site will start, later in the summer of 2017.

The Stage 1 Building will stand on 413 piles in total. The piles on the northern boundary are being sunk to a depth of 33 metres. The piles that will support the building’s southern boundary, alongside Eastern Road, will be between 10 and 15 metres deep. The difference is caused by the natural slope of the site from higher elevations in the north to lower elevations in the south.

Piles for the building are formed by drilling a hole to the required depth. A reinforced steel cage is lowered into the hole and concrete is pumped in. Once the concrete has hardened the pile is capped, ready to support the building above.

Tuesday, 23 May 2017

These gems of the Tudor Revival style lurk in the little frequented and strangely named High Street, nos. 23 - 30. They tick all the boxes; half-timbering, gabled dormers, mansard roofs, stone-arched doorways, and mullioned windows. The narrow street makes them difficult to photograph and they are always partly obscured by cars.

They are grade II listed the description for which includes a mention of the scattered fenestration and that the individual units are designed to form an irregular and picturesque grouping by simple variations on a common type; only No.27 is really unique, forming a central point of emphasis. The other units are assembled from a limited number of features and finishes.

Between Nos 28 and 29 is a round gable which bears a shield inscribed with the date 1910 and the Corporation's arms. All the cast-iron downpipes are original, one of which can be seen on the right.

They were designed by local architects Clayton & Black and the ravages of time appear to have left them largely untouched. It would be good to be able to say the same of more modern buildings.

Friday, 19 May 2017

The highly acclaimed Project of the Year accolade is presented by the R.I.C.S. to the scheme which demonstrates overall outstanding best practice and an exemplary commitment to adding value to its local area. British Airways I-360 not only scooped the prestigious title this year, it also won the 'Design through Innovation' and 'Tourism & Leisure' awards.

Brighton has a long tradition of expressing its identity through remarkable architecture and British Airways I-360 continues this tradition of celebratory structures. Not only has the project given the city a 21st Century landmark with which to identify itself, it has created new jobs and spurred economic growth. The innovative form of funding used to build British Airways i360 means that Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) earns nearly £1 million per year for the city. These earnings are used for regenerative purposes, to breathe new life into forgotten areas and to give back to the city.

In urban design terms, the tower can be seen as an equivalent of an obelisk which traditionally was used to complete the bottom of an open-ended, three-sided plan, such as Regency Square. The height of British Airways i360 is half the length of the West Pier, while the visitor centre at its base, including the reconstructed Eugenius Birch-designed 1866 tollbooths and flanking stairs, stretches the width of Regency Square behind it. The tower, aligned on the central axis of Regency Square, creates a strong reference point from afar.

Tuesday, 16 May 2017

Freedom of the City will be conferred on Brighton & Hove Albion’s manager and chairman this week in honour of the Seagulls’ success in promotion to the Premier League.

Manager Chris Hughton and chairman Tony Bloom will receive the honour at a special council meeting at Brighton Town Hall on Thursday 18 May at 3pm.

The city is still in celebratory spirits following the confirmation of the promotion last month and an amazing turn out on the streets for the Albion’s parade on Sunday.

At the meeting on Thursday afternoon, lead councillors will speak in support of the motion to award honorary Freedom of the City before all councillors vote to officially confer the title.

Chris Hughton took over as Albion manager in the middle of the 2014/15 season, helping retain the club’s place in the Championship. Last year the Albion missed out on automatic promotion only by goal difference, finishing third. Hull won the ensuing play-offs for the third promotion spot. This year the team gained automatic promotion finishing just one point behind Newcastle, a team that came down from the Premier League last year.

Brightonian Tony Bloom became club chairman in 2009, succeeding Dick Knight. He has personally invested millions into the club, including its home the Amex Community Stadium and training ground in Lancing.

Council meetings are open to the public but space in the chamber is limited and the councillors and club guests have to be given priority with regards to seating. To avoid disappoint, residents are encouraged to enjoy the ceremony by watching the live webcast rather than coming to the town hall

Albion Street is situated at the north west corner of an area that was subjected to repeated slum clearances and redevelopment throughout the 20th.C. Many streets of 2 to 3 storey housing were demolished and replaced with the blocks of flats to be seen today. This area was situated in what was known as Hilly Laine. The rest of Hilly Laine survived and became a much sought-after area now known as Hanover. Hanover still supports many thriving pubs.

On the opposite side of the central valley North Laine also narrowly escaped demolition in the 60's thanks mainly to the efforts of BHCC Planning Director Ken Fines. This is now a lively mixed retail, commercial and residential area which is a favoured destination for both Brighton residents and visitors alike.

The current plans for the remodelling of Valley Gardens and its encircling road system has the aim of rendering the Valley Gardens more permeable to pedestrians west to east. and vice versa. Once completed perhaps some of the buzz of the west side will bleed into the east. It looks doubtful though that it will happen in time to save the Free Butt.

Thursday, 11 May 2017

Awaiting approval are planning applications BH2017/00762 & 00768 which are for the change of use of 12 -16 Brighton Square from retail to a single restaurant and the installation of appropriate new shopfronts. The shops in question are those on the north side of the square, shown to the right in the above photo.

BH2017/00762 also applies for the installation in the centre of the square of a large awning to provide for sheltered dining. The central fountain would be removed and its dolphin sculpture moved to the central apex of the awning above the rainwater collecting pipe. In this position it seems that it will be largely invisible to passers-by at ground level.

Another application BH2017/00797 refers to the flats above the shops and is for the replacement of the present hanging tiles and white weatherboarding with dark grey weatherboarding in place of tiles and for white painted render to the bays. Unfortunately this is already approved. It seem a completely unnecessary modification; merely chasing a modern fad. Weatherboarding never weathers so well as tiles and white cement render quickly becomes weather-stained.

Wednesday, 10 May 2017

With all attention being currently focussed on the Madeira Terraces the condition of the Kemp Town slopes is being overlooked. Yet their heritage value is similar to that of the Terraces without the complications of rusting iron work.

The above images are just a selection of some of the worst areas of deterioration.

If they were my garden walls I'd get a plasterer along very quickly to avoid the expense of a major rebuild in a few years.